Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal

By Scott Bachmeier • 18 May 2020

Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]

EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 Infrared Window (10.8 µm) images (above) showed Cyclone Amphan during the period when it was rapidly intensifying to a Category 5 storm (ADT | SATCON) by 06 UTC on 18 May 2020. In fact, Ampham became the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Bay of Bengal basin.

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images as viewed using RealEarth (below) provided a more detailed view of Amphan shortly before the time of its peak intensity.

NOAA-20 VIIRS True Color RGB and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

On the following night, toggles between VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images from Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 (below) showed a subtle signature of mesospheric airglow waves propagating northward away from the center of Cyclone Amphan.

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]

Suomi NPP VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (credit: William Straka, CIMSS) [click to enlarge]

NOAA-20 VIIRS Day/Night Band (0.7 µm) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images (credit: William Straka, CIMSS) [click to enlarge]

Categories: Meteosat, NOAA-20, RealEarth, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images, Suomi NPP, Tropical cyclones, VIIRS

CIMSS Satellite Blog

CIMSS Satellite Blog

Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal